


The Golden Throne

by MrZissman



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anti-Faunus Racism (RWBY), Biological Warfare, Cults, F/F, Future Fic, Married Couple, Older Ruby Rose (RWBY), Secret Organizations, Terrorism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:54:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23337973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrZissman/pseuds/MrZissman
Summary: A terrorist attack by an anti-Faunus cult in a crowded downtown restaurant in Atlas results in both Blake and Velvet hospitalized and in critical care with a virus that infects Faunus only. Racing against the clock, Winter Schnee enlists the help of Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and Coco to go on a secret mission to locate a long-abandoned Atlesian military lab in the ruins of Mountain Glenn to find what they need in hopes of synthesizing a cure.VER 1.1 - REVISED ON 8/21/2020
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Coco Adel/Velvet Scarlatina, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 14
Kudos: 61





	1. PROLOGUE

Brother Hezekiah impatiently tapped his foot in the passenger seat of the nondescript white van. His face was pallid and clammy, his nerves over-charged beyond anything he’d ever experienced. Though he was staring out the side window, his mind was far away, his eyes not even processing the passing scenery. The buildings of downtown Atlas were blending into a concrete gray smear, a never-ending kaleidoscope of blurred imagery. He squirmed a bit in his over-sized coat, wincing as the metallic and glass apparatus poked at his rib cage. He couldn’t tell if the excessive amounts of sweat he was perspiring was because of the coat or his nerves–probably both.

“You’re nervous,” Sister Rebekah said with an oddly comforting smile. “you shouldn’t be. You’re doing the Prophet’s work and furthering the cause. The Golden Throne will remember you always.” There was something about her that always made Hezekiah feel odd. The tone of her voice was cheerful, but in a plastic, robotic way, as if she was some kind of android that was programmed to express what it thought happiness was like. Her eyes were green like two pieces of emerald, glossy and emotionless, which made the wide smile on her face even more off-putting.

“Th-thank you, Sister. I appreciate the support.” Hezekiah said, wiping his forehead with the sleeve of his jacket. “I know that I am but a small piece in the Great Puzzle and I am doing the Prophet’s work.” His words seemed distant, as if he was watching himself speak on the television. “Are we almost there?”

“Patience, Brother. We are only a block away from the restaurant where the Heathens and traitors are gathering.” Rebekah said, her eyes never leaving the road.

“Right, my apologies…” he muttered quietly. Music was strictly forbidden in The Golden Throne as it was considered a distraction from their higher cause, so the only noise in the van was the sound of the van’s wipers going back and forth in the pouring rain, squeaking against the cracked glass of the windshield. For a moment, Hezekiah thought about calling it off, throwing off the device from his chest and running to the nearest military installation and exposing everything. He knew there was no coming back from this, that if the explosion from the device didn’t kill him then the Atlasiean Military would.

But then he remembered why he was doing this, why he joined the cause. He closed his eyes and fought back the tears of anger and rage as he reminded himself of that horrible night when that beast, the horrible bull Faunus killed his parents in front of him. Hezekiah’s fists clenched into balls of rage, his pulse quickening as he made himself relive the night. He needed to be reminded of his higher purpose, he needed to be reminded about why he fought the good fight. As long as these filthy beasts walked Remnant, spreading their disease and violence, passing themselves off as humans and polluting society, then he could not rest. No, now was not the time to run away. Now was the time to fulfill the Prophet’s will and punish the wicked.

“Brother? We are here.” Rebekah said, putting the car in park in front of the restaurant. Hezekiah had seen ads for it around Atlas, a fancy establishment that he could never dream of dining in. It was chosen as it would be full of the traitors and Heathens and would serve as the first shot in the purge that would cleanse this planet of all of its ills. “May the Prophet protect you,” she said, turning around to rest a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“May the Prophet protect you as well, Sister,” he replied. Taking a deep breath, he slid open the side door and stepped out in the freezing rain, the water almost instantly turning to sheets of crystal clear ice as soon as it hit the pavement. He pulled his faded blue coat closer to him, the fleece-lined collar soaked with his sweat. The doorman flashed a professional smile and opened the Gothic style glass doors, the heat from within blasting Hezekiah and making him even more uncomfortable.

“May I take your coat, sir?” the doorman asked. Hezekiah said nothing. “... sir?”

“For the glory of the Golden Throne!” Hezekiah finally yelled, throwing his jacket to the ground and pressing the red ignition button on his wrist. There was a flash of light and smoke and then...nothing.


	2. Judgement

**Moments earlier…**

_CLINK, CLINK_

Weiss Schnee-Rose stood up at the table, carefully tapping the side of her crystal wine glass with her fork, clearing her throat. She was gathered with the rest of her team, plus Coco and Velvet, at one of Atlas’ most exclusive restaurants for a special dinner honoring Velvet.

“Pardon, but I would like to make a toast – to Velvet Adel! Our friend was just voted as ‘Oh Snap!’ magazine’s Photographer of the Year! Congratulations, Velvet!” she said, carefully applauding as not to spill her glass of Mistralian red wine. Everyone at the table happily applauded as Velvet blushed.

“You guys, it’s not that big of a deal!” she protested, but Coco would hear none of it.

“Hardly, babe You know damn well how good you are, so stop with this false modesty nonsense. You got talent and you’re getting recognized for it!” she said.

But Velvet’s exhibit at the Willow Schnee Institute for the Arts had been a smash hit. Titled ‘The Cost of Freedom’, it was a series of black and white photos showcasing some effects that forced servitude had done for the formerly enslaved Faunus slave workers. Missing ears, crippled limbs, burns, brands, mutilations–everything was presented as-is with no commentary. Velvet wanted to show people the price the Faunus had paid for their freedom. There was some backlash from the Faunus community that the event was being held at an establishment named after the matriarch of the Schnee Family, but Velvet didn’t mind. To her, the name of the building was pointless, but the content inside is what mattered the most. Besides, though she would never admit it to Weiss, bringing this exhibit to a forum named after a Schnee felt good, therapeutic even.

“I’m just surprised Weiss was willing to sponsor it. I know you’re not your Dad, but still… it doesn’t make the Schnees look good.” Velvet admitted. But Weiss merely shook her head.

“Correction–it doesn’t make Jacques look good. The SDC is no longer his plaything and now that I’m in charge, I will make sure it will be the company my grandfather wanted.” She replied, sitting back down in her chair. “I can’t change the past, but I will not hide from it either.” She added. Velvet nodded, but Coco seemed somewhat unimpressed.

“Speaking of Ol’ Jacques Strap,” Coco said with a smirk “how is he, anyway? I saw in the news he’s not doing so well with the Dust Lung and all since he was forced to step down.”

“I don’t exactly speak regularly with the man, Coco, to put it mildly. But last I heard he was living in Mistral and was undergoing some experimental treatment to deal with his illness.” Weiss shot back, her ice-blue eyes narrowing.

“So, uh… who wants cake?!” Ruby interjected. “I like cake, right? I think this place has terrific cake. We should all get cake!”

“Ooh, cake sounds nice!” Yang added, picking up on her sister’s vibe. “I hope they have Death by Chocolate.” Blake nodded and picked up her menu, her cat ears drooping slightly. Velvet gave Coco a sharp elbow to her arm and shot her a disapproving look, and Weiss merely took a sip of her wine and said nothing, returning her gaze to her menu.

“And for the record, Ruby, the cake here is amazing.” Weiss eventually added, not looking up from the menu. “but I suggest we decide shortly so we’re ready for when the waiter comes back around.”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Coco admitted, not wanting to push the Ice Queen’s frosty buttons more than she had. “You hungry, honeybun?” But Velvet didn’t reply. “Velv? Okay, I know you hate that nickname and all, but really- “

“No, no, it’s not that,” Velvet interrupted. “That bloke over there at the front of the restaurant rubs me the wrong way.” Everyone stopped studying the menu and looked up at the disheveled gentleman with his long, stringy, sweat-soaked mud-colored hair and scraggly five o’clock shadow.

“It is kinda weird that he’s super sweaty when it’s like negative a million degrees outside…” Ruby observed.

“Yeah, that and… Blake? Can you hear his heartbeat like I can?” Velvet asked. Though Blake’s Faunus ears weren’t as large or as sensitive as Velvet’s, she still had enhanced hearing. Her cat ears pointed straight up, the left one twitching slightly.

“… it’s so rapid...” Blake said with a confused furrowed brow.

“Wait, you can guys can hear heartbeats?” Yang said with surprise. “You never told me that!”

“Normally I can’t, but this guy’s heart is just going off of the bloody charts!” Velvet replied. “It’s like a jackhammer and it’s just going louder and louder. Either he’s super nervous about something or he’s going to have a stroke!”

“Do you think maybe one of us should go up and see if he’s okay?” Ruby asked, worry starting to creep into her voice.

“Maybe he’s just nervous cause this place is so fancy?” Yang said. “It can be intimidating for someone not used to such a thing,” Yang said. “But Rubes is right, maybe someone should go and check on him?”

Velvet was pushing her chair away from the table to do just that when the haggard-looking man shouted something intelligible and suddenly there was a cacophony of loud booms and an explosion of eye-searing white light.

Ruby’s ears were ringing as she staggered back to her feet. The entire dining area was full of some strange smoke, and her shell-shocked mind couldn’t decide if that was from a fire or something else. Her vision was blurry, and she struggled to make sense of what was going on around her.

“Weiss? Weiss? Are you there?” she yelled into the void, but her words were drowned out by the pained cries of everyone around her. The thick, white smoke choked her lungs, and she coughed heaving, dry coughs, and desperately tried to force clean air back into her lungs. “Yang? Blake? Coco? Velvet? ...anybody?”

Ruby fumbled her way through the fog of soot and confusion, her arms feeling in front of her for a chair or a table, something to keep her grounded. Through the heavy smoke came a bright light, almost like a spotlight that cut through the smoke and almost blinded the silver-eyed huntress.

“Ruby?! Are you okay?!” came Yang’s voice. Her cybernetic arm was outstretched, a high-powered flashlight protruding from her wrist. “I can’t find anyone else, it's chaos.”

“I’m fine, I think” Ruby observed, brushing some spilled marinara sauce off her blouse that the flashlight had illuminated. “but when you did you get that cool flashlight?”

“That’s what you want to talk about?” Yang asked incredulously. “But if you gotta know, I made some upgrades to the robot-arm. But we’ll talk about that later, right now we need to get this smoke out of here and check for survivors.”

“Right!” said Ruby, snapping back into Team Leader mode. She glanced around the chaos of the dining room to figure out her next move, but the haze was so thick it made it impossible to see anything past her immediate field of vision. She considered trying to use her Semblance to the front door and smash it open to let the wind suck the smoke out, but she decided it was too risky. She did not understand where the door was concerning her current position and it also risked running into other dining guests, tables, chairs or who knows what else. Slowly, she walked forward, stepping over overturned furniture and silverware till she was close enough to see the glass front of the restaurant. “Jackpot!” she triumphantly said to herself and hurled a nearby chair through the window. With a loud crash, the glass shattered into thousands of pieces and the noxious cloud billowed out in the freezing rain night air. Yang joined her by smashing all the windows in the building using her cyber-arm, which helped to greatly reduce the smoke from within.

“Everyone okay?” Yang yelled.

“Oh, bloody hell…” Velvet moaned, slowly making her way back to her feet. “My ears are killing me! Both sets.” Now able to see, Coco was on her in a flash, holding both her hands in her own.

“Velv, are you okay? Talk to me!” she pleaded, but Velvet just gave her fashionable wife a big hug.

“I’m fine, Coco. I think I’m partially deaf, but I’m fine,” she said, giving Coco a reassuring smooch on her forehead.

With a pained grunt, Blake pushed off a table that had fallen on her and stood back to her feet, kicking her high heels off in frustration. Yang practically pounced on her, lunging towards Blake and encompassing her in a bone-crushing hug.

“Missed you too,” Blake said with a smirk. “Is everyone okay?”

“Seems to be so, yeah,” Yang replied. “Whatever kind of bomb that guy set off, it did lots of physical damage to the furniture and the building, but no one seems to be wounded, besides some bumps and bruises. And speaking of that punk, where the hell is he?!”

The mysterious attacker was face down towards the entrance, his jacket nothing more than a ragged mess of torn and singed fabric. Fractured pieces of metal and glass had embedded themselves in the walls, but miraculously missing anyone with their deadly shrapnel. Coco angrily marched over to where he lay prone and jerked him up with one hand, hoisting him up by the collar of his ruined white tee-shirt.

“Wake up!” she snarled, shaking him vigorously. The scraggly man’s eyes fluttered a bit before the mental cobwebs slowly dissipated. The angry pair of chocolate brown eyes, Coco’s 500 Lien shades were destroyed in the explosion, didn’t seem to dissuade him as he immediately sang and chanted praises to whatever religious figure he idolized.

“The Prophet be praised!” he shouted with unbridled glee. “The message was delivered, and I survived! I have been anointed and chosen to spread the message further! Oh, Joyous Day! Soon all of Remnant will know the truth and- “

He was interrupted by a headbutt from Coco that knocked him back out unconscious, sending him into a bloody nosed heap on the floor.

“Yeah, that’s annoying,” grunted the CFVY team leader. She sighed and brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes and cracked her neck. The explosion had sent her flying, and she landed at an awkward angle, so she had a suspicion her neck would be sore for the next couple of days. ‘Just means more massages from Velvet...’ she thought, a smirk spreading on her face. Meanwhile, Weiss and Ruby were speaking with the head chef, a portly pig Faunus with flame-red hair.

“I’ve called the authorities,” he said “and they’re sending a military unit right away. Thank you again for your help!”

“I’ll reimburse any repair costs you need, trust me,” Weiss assured. “You won’t have to spend a single Lien.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you!” the chef cried, kissing Weiss’ hand. “You and your friends are welcome to eat here free whenever you want!”

“Does that mean I can get those cheesy garlic breadsticks I love so much?!” Ruby squealed with delight.

“Yes, yes, anything!” the chef replied.

“This day just got a lot more kick butt!” Ruby said with a fist pump. Weiss had opened her mouth to call her wife a Dolt but was cut off by the sounds of screeching tires and sirens. Doors slammed and the sound of heavy boots crunching on the snow and ice rang out from the front door and soon the dining room was full of heavily armed Atlasiean military guards. Their pulse rifles swept across the room, their off-white high impact polymerized armor allowed maximum flexibility, and they moved with silence and efficiency. 

“Where is the perpetrator?” one of them shouted.

“Um… he’s that guy there,” Ruby said, pointing at the still unconscious man. The guard kept the barrel of his rifle pointed firmly at the terrorist while his partner secured his wrists behind his back with high-resistance metal cuffs.

“Perimeter secured! We have the suspect in custody!” one of them yelled into his earpiece. Behind them another door slammed shut and the sound of boots, though somewhat lighter in tone than before, echoed their way through the drafty empty windows. The front doors pushed open and in stepped General Winter Schnee, head of the Atlasiean Military.

"I need a full sit-rep now," she barked. "Weiss? You're here too? Just what the hell happened?"

"I'll tell you what happened..." the restrained man coughed, having just regained consciousness. "justice. Justice happened."

"Geez, does this guy ever shut up?" Yang mused. "Am I right, Blake?" But Blake didn't say anything. "Blake?"

"I... I don't feel so good..." Blake said wearily. Blood was trickling down from her nose and from the corners of her eyes, her forehead was slick with heavy perspiration and she was wobbling on her feet. "I... I don't-" she almost repeated, before fainting into a heap on the floor.

"BLAKE!" Yang cried and rushed to be with her wife.

"C-Coco...?" Velvet wheezed. "Help...help me..." she whimpered, collapsing into Coco's arms. Her face was the same pale sweaty mask of suffering that was Blake's and soon the entire dining room was full of the gasps and groans of the Faunus in attendance, all of them collapsing in pain and agony, including the pig Faunus chef who had fallen face-first into a plate of crab linguini.

"What is going on?!" Weiss yelled.

"It's a Code Zero!" one of the guards screamed. "Biological hazard! Class Alpha!"

"Dammit!" Winter roared. Grabbing the walkie-talkie on her military belt, she shoved the button to speak, the tiny metal box squawking to life. "This is General Winter Schnee! I am calling in a Class Alpha Quarantine at my coordinates! I need immediate medical evac for a dozen civilians!"

The restrained man began to cackle and laugh manically, almost dancing in his handcuffs.

"The hour of judgment is at hand! Blessed is the Prophet! Blessed is his cure! Blessed is the Golden Throne!"


	3. Exterminatus

The backhand from Winter was a blur, connecting loudly across the crazed cultist’s face with a loud crack. Her blue eyes were hard with anger and for a split second, she debated reaching for her service gun, Snowblind, and pistol-whipping him into silence, but decided against it.

“Take him to the maximum-security wing and put him in an isolation cell! No one gets in to talk to him without my approval first, is that understood?” she barked. The Atlas marine who had cuffed the crazed terrorist gave a sharp salute in response.

“Yes ma’am!” he said, his gesture crisp and flawless. “Right this way.” he joked shoving the detained cultist towards the transport truck, the cultist giggling and singing gurgled hymns through his bloodied mouth, giving no resistance. Winter turned her attention back to the restaurant and the chaos within. Coco was kneeling with Velvet’s head resting on her lap. Her breathing was harsh and ragged as tears streaked down her face.

“No, no, please – talk to me, Velv, please!” Coco pleaded, but all Velvet could do was mumble incoherently as blood trickled down her nose. Blake was in just as worse shape, moaning in agony as Yang embraced her in a hug. Yang’s blonde hair had fallen in front of her face so Winter couldn't see her facial reaction. Off to the side, Ruby and Weiss stood shell shocked at everything that had transpired so quickly.

“Everyone remain calm!” Winter yelled, her voice carrying over the panicked cries of everyone within. “Several medical units are on their way now to take the afflicted to a local hospital. Please, stay where you are.”

Almost as if on cue, the sounds of emergency sirens wailed in the night as medical airships made precarious landings on the street. Dozens of medical droids filled the room pushing stretchers and carrying military grade first aid kits. The “new” series of medical droids were nothing more than repurposed and reprogrammed Atlesian Knight-130s, but their faceplates have been replaced to look more “human” with a synthetic skin-like rubber face, but with a LED display screen for a “mouth” and white plastic eyes with a single black pupil. Weiss had used the term “uncanny valley” to describe them, but Ruby wasn’t sure what a brand of ranch dressing had to do with the robots.

“Please state the nature of your medical emergency.” one of them asked Winter, its voice sounding like a bad text-to-speech program.

“Every Faunus here is in critical condition due to an unknown airborne contagion. They are to be taken immediately to intensive care at the nearest hospital and put in full quarantine. I only want medical droids dealing with them till we can be sure this is not contagious to humans or capable of spreading to other Faunus.” Winter ordered. The medical droid’s display screen lit up with a thumbs-up emoji and the droids made their way into the restaurant, gingerly loading the infected citizens on to the stretchers. “However,” Winter ordered, gesturing towards Velvet and Blake “these two are to be taken immediately to the military hospital and given complete treatment.“ The droid she had been talking to stopped and turned towards Velvet and Blake, cocking its metallic head as if it were thinking.

“Query – these citizens do not match our facial recognition records for active Atlesian military? I’m afraid I cannot grant this request.”

“Override code V3E3, authorization General Winter Schnee.” Winter simply said. The droid made a soft metallic chirping sound from within, the thumbs-up emoji once again displaying on its facial screen.

“Authorization successful – beginning transfer to the military hospital now, per your request,” the droid droned. Coco reluctantly stepped away from Velvet as two droids carefully hoisted her up and strapped her to the stretcher.

“Thank you for that…” Weiss said softly. The tiniest of smiles teased at the corner of Winter’s mouth, which for her was a full-on grin.

“Consider it a favor for trying to restore our family’s name,” she smirked. Meanwhile, Yang had taken umbrage with how one of the droids was handling Blake.

“Watch it!” she yelled. “If you hurt a hair on her head, I’m going to turn you into a scrap heap!” The droid, however, did not seem fazed, as a winking smiley face emoji soon blipped on its display screen.

“Your concerns have been noted, citizen. Rest assured – I am programmed and calibrated to treat every patient with the utmost care and respect. Your friend- “

“My wife!” Yang interrupted.

“My sincerest apologies, citizen! Your wife will be immediately air transported to a state-of-the-art medical facility where they will receive some of the best medical care in all of Remnant.” The droid happily replied. Yang’s fists tightened and for a moment, things were tense till she exhaled deeply and visibly deflated.

“Just…treat her good, ok?” she finally said. The droids facial screen blipped a heart emoji and pushed Blake in the stretcher towards the waiting medical airship. Several feet away, Coco had reluctantly released Velvet’s arm, watching with pained agony as her wife’s arm limply fell to her chest. She followed Velvet’s stretcher till they were right by the wreckage of the front door before Winter stepped in front of her, cutting her off.

“You are not permitted to leave yet,” Winter said firmly. Coco’s eyes hardened, as she pointed a damning finger right at Winter, her voice sharp.

“If you think for one moment I’m not going to be by Velvet’s side, then you are asking for trouble, Schnee.” Coco sneered, letting the last word roll off her tongue like it was a slur. Winter cocked a jet-black eyebrow in response.

“I understand your emotions, Coco, but we cannot risk any chance of a further outbreak. Yes, you may be asymptomatic at this time, but that doesn’t mean you’re not contagious. Until you are cleared by the medical staff, you are to remain in strict isolation. That is not up for debate.” Winter ordered; her eyes locked on to Coco as if they were laser targeted. It seemed the situation would intensify, till Ruby put a hand on Coco’s shoulder.

“She’s right, Coco,” Ruby said softly. “Velvet is in the best hands right now and the experts and doctors and stuff are going to do the best job they can. You can’t do her any good if you’re sick and spread it to other people.” Coco stared down Winter again, before quickly turning her back and sitting down on a nearby dining room chair.

“Fine,” she angrily said, “but when my vitals come back clean, you are taking me to her bedside immediately.”

“Consider it done,” Winter said with a tiny head nod. “The medical droids will check everyone’s vitals here, however, I will request that the four of you accompany me to command center for screening there.”

“Wait, you want us to come with you?” Weiss asked puzzled. “Aren’t you worried about getting infected too?”

“I will undergo the same screening procedures that you will,” Winter said simply and left it at that. Weiss and Ruby shared a curious glance, Ruby only shrugging in response. “Coco and Yang will travel first as I’m sure they want to see their spouses if they test clear. Weiss and Ruby? You will be traveling with me.”

Ruby, Weiss, and Winter boarded a waiting airship that was piloted by a droid to avoid any chance of infection. Ruby watched quietly as the restaurant shrank in size as the ship raised higher and higher in the cold Atlas air. There was a bit of a jerk in speed as the ship blazed across the sky, heading towards the looming Atlas Military HQ that overlooked the city like a silent guardian.

It was quiet in the ship, the only sounds coming from the muffled hum of the antigravity engine. Winter sat across from the married couple, her face a mask of concentration as she was focused on a datapad, her gloved finger swiping through various charts and graphs of knowledge that Ruby didn’t understand. Weiss sat to the left of Ruby, as she looked out the window with expressionless gloom. Once again, Ruby was stuck in silence and needed conversation.

“So, uh, nice gun?” she blurted out, not meaning for it to sound like a question.

“Pardon?” Winter said with confusion.

“Your gun…? It’s pretty cool looking,” Ruby admitted. “I dunno if Weiss told you but I’m kind of a weapons geek. Is that a modified revolver?”

“Indeed, it is,” Weiss said with a slight smile. “Specifically, an Atlesian standard issue revolver that I heavily modified. It’s not as powerful as some of the other revolvers, but it doesn’t need to be. When you’re efficient and accurate with your shots, you don’t need the power.”

“Oh, I totally agree!” Ruby squealed with joy. “People always say I should switch to heavier rounds for Crescent Rose, but if you aim for the right spots, you don’t need the extra dust! It’ll just slow the round down.”

“Weiss speaks highly of your combat prowess, Ruby, and I can see why. Your knowledge of weapons is extensive.” Winter said approvingly. Ruby blushed as red as her cloak as it was one of the biggest compliments she had been given by her sister-in-law in the entire time she knew her. Weiss never joined in, just continued to stare out the window as the ship began its descent to one of the many landing pads of the command tower. “Though I would enjoy our weapons based ‘girl talk’, we’re here at the base,” Winter added.

  
The ship gently landed on the platform, the locking mechanism clamping with a metallic thunk. Weiss stood up without a word and quietly walked towards the side door to exit. Behind her back, Winter gave Ruby a quizzical look, but all Ruby could do was shrug. The door slid open and the trio was greeted by several military doctors in full-body hazmat suits, complete with masks and oxygen tanks.

“Status on the VIP patients?” Winter asked as she nonchalantly stepped out of the airship. Weiss came out immediately after, followed by Ruby. One glance over the side made Ruby’s head spin, seeing just how high up they were from the rest of Atlas. The air was sharp and colder up here, and Ruby felt it cut through the thin fabric of her fancy clothes to her very bone. Of course, neither Schnee woman was bothered. Ruby was convinced the Schnee family had antifreeze in their blood.

“Stable, but still in critical condition. It’s like their entire body is shutting down, organ by organ. We have both on ventilators and nutrient drip to keep them stable. We’re running blood samples now,” one of the doctors said, handing Winter a clipboard.

“And their spouses?” Winter asked, not looking up as she flipped through the medical charts.

“Both of them are in isolation, waiting for the results of their blood and saliva tests,” the other doctor said. “We should have all results within the hour.”

“Excellent,” Winter replied, handing the chart back. She stopped at the entrance to the base to turn towards Weiss and Ruby, her arms neatly clasped behind her back. “Now then, if you’ll follow me, we’ll be running some tests to make sure none of us are contagious. Right this way, please.”


	4. Like Toy Soldiers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay. Quarantine has been a bitch and I haven't found the mood to write.

The automatic doors silently slid open and bathed Ruby in harsh, fluorescent light. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust but when they did, she was in awe of the massive labyrinth before her. Atlasiean soldiers in hazmat suits worked hand in hand with AK-130 medical droids over a sea of test tubes, beakers, vials, and computers.

“You’re probably wondering how everyone managed to get into hazmat suits so quickly,” Winter mused “this is the Biological Research Center or BRC, for short. It’s here the top minds of the Atlasiean military’s science division study everything from the common cold to advanced viral weapons like Grimm Pox or Weeping Eye Disease.”

Ruby was actually wondering if any of the supercomputers could run the Doomed Hell Solider video game, but she merely nodded. She was trying to keep with up with the Schnee sisters as they power-walked through the BRC, their boots and heels clacking against the well-polished linoleum floor.

“Where are Velvet and Blake?” Weiss asked, watching as a medical droid walked by pushing a cart full of various blood samples.

“They’ve been moved to the ICU unit which is two floors below us. Yang and Coco are in the BRC, down the hall, getting tests done. If they test clear, they will be allowed to visit their spouses.” Winter replied.

“And they went along with that?” Ruby asked.

“Considering nothing is on fire and no alarms are going off, I’d say it’s safe to assume so,” Winter replied dryly.

“Still, I imagine Coco had a few choice words for the orderlies and I’m willing to bet you’re probably down a few medical droids if Yang is involved.” Weiss darkly mused.

After a few more twists and turns down various hallways, Winter stopped in front of two rooms with heavy metal doors and a small window in each.

“For now, you two will need to stay in here individually till we can get you tested. Whereas it’s not quite the comfort of Schnee Manor, you’ll see that it more than suits your needs. I do ask that you change into a medical gown as soon as possible and remove your soiled clothing so it can be destroyed in case of possible contamination,” she said.

“This dress is one of a kind,” Weiss snorted in frustration. “I assume the military will recoup my expenses?”

“Considering you still owe me for that hairbrush you borrowed and never returned when I was fourteen, I would say we’re even.”

“I told you I gave that back to you!”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Ruby said, standing between the ‘Schneesters’, “let’s not argue, okay? We gotta bigger picture to fry.”

“Though her metaphors are a bit mixed up, Ruby is right. We’ll never be able to fix any of this if we’re reduced to petty sibling squabbling,” said Winter. Weiss gave a defeated sigh.

“I suppose you’re right,” she admitted. “Ruby? I imagine you’ll want a goodnight kiss considering we probably won’t see each other till sometime tomorrow.” Ruby giggled with delight and leaned in for a sweet kiss but stopped short and stared daggers at Winter before giving a loud, exaggerated, theatrical cough.

“Oh, apologies, a little privacy,” Winter said sarcastically, turning her back on the married couple.

“Better!” Ruby said. She leaned in for the kiss, her lips gently pressed against Weiss’ in a perfect expression of love and dedication. “Okay, you can turn around now!”

Winter turned back and cocked an eyebrow, shaking her head slightly.

“As I was saying, these will be your rooms for now. You’ll need to be separated to avoid any cross-contamination but there is an intercom that connects the two rooms so you will be able to talk to each other. Now if you excuse me, I have to retire to my decontamination room,” Winter said and with a razor-sharp pivot on her jet black combat boots, she marched down the hall and disappeared behind a corner, the sound of a door closing being the only other sound she made.

“So, uh, see ya in the morning?” Ruby said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.

“I’ll try my best to get some shut-eye without your snoring, you adorable Dolt” Weiss teased. Ruby gave a playful pout.

“I don’t snore! It’s Zwei who snores in his old age, not me.”

“If you insist. Goodnight, Petal.”

“Goodnight, Snowflake.”

They kissed once more and went into their separate rooms.

* * *

Coco Adel could not sleep. She paced back and forth in her decontamination room, her mind roaring with anger and fear and confusion. She felt sick at her stomach and hungry at the same time, making her thankful she hadn’t eaten any food at the restaurant. Velvet was her whole world – her teammate, partner and wife and so much more and now she was in danger of losing the one thing she valued the most. Her dress, beret, shades, and pumps had been taken and sealed in a large bag and the way the orderly cowered when Coco threatened her if anything happened to them gave the fashionista a small sense of release from the anxiety, but not much. The hospital gown they had given her was still neatly folded on the sorry excuse for a cot that they called a bed. Instead, she paced around in her black bra and panties and bare feet, not caring if anyone saw.

One of the medical droids had come in earlier and poked and prodded its way through a litany of tests. Her blood and saliva were the primary ones done, with the droid filling several vials up with her blood alone.

“I thank you for your cooperation!” it had chimed, a smiley face displaying on its face screen. “You will have your results within the hour.”

“I had better,” Coco warned, “or else I’m turning you into the world’s largest toaster.”

The droid flashed a crying frowning face and mechanically walked from the room, the door closing with a hermetic hiss. Coco had no idea how long ago that had been, as every attempt to look at the clock had resulted in a blur of numbers that made her head hurt. It was impossible to concentrate knowing Velvet was on death’s door. Finally, after what seemed like an endless trudge of time, the door hissed open and a cute blonde cat Faunus scientist walked in carrying a clipboard. She still had her hazmat suit, but the hood was off and attached to a belt at her hip. Seeing Coco in her underwear made her blush slightly, but her professional military training quickly took over.

“Mrs. Adel, pleasure to meet you. I’m Doctor Felicity Messmer and I just finished going over your charts. You’ll be happy to know you’re in perfect health with no traces of any abnormalities or viruses.”

“I could have saved you the trouble and told you that,” Coco shot back. “Can I see my wife now?”

“Of course, I can escort you to the ICU but I would advise a change of outfit would be necessary,” she smirked, nodding towards the folded hospital gown. Coco frowned.

“It feels like sandpaper and the last thing I need is someone checking out my ass as I walk,” she protested. “You got a pair of scrubs I can use?”

“I’ll see what can be arranged, Mrs. Adel, but bear in mind, you would be unable to leave this room unless you have clothing on. This is a science lab, not a fashion show.”

“Doc, everywhere I go is a fashion show.”

* * *

Shadowboxing helped Yang stay focused. It was something her Dad had taught her years ago, when she was recovering from losing her arm to Adam Taurus. Throwing punches in the air, swaying from side to side, practicing her jabs and uppercuts gave her something to zero in on and ignore the mental image of Blake indisposed with who knows how many tubes and wires sticking out of her. The pain in her left arm from where the droid had taken the blood samples had quieted down to a dull ache and she still had the dry taste of cotton lingering in her tongue from the huge swabs needed for her spit tests.

Her hospital gown was tied securely behind her back, but it was already becoming damp with sweat from the vigorous exercise. Surprisingly, they let her keep her cybernetic arm, but made it clear that any attempt to use it to force her way out of the decontamination room would be met with “extreme prejudice.”

“Extreme prejudice my butt…” she muttered to herself, dodging an invisible jab and countering with a left, right, left, uppercut combination that would have shattered the jaw of anyone or anything. She was so focused on her imaginary brawl that she didn’t hear the door to her room open with that weird hiss and was only snapped from it when the doctor cleared his throat. “Oh, sorry!” Yang said bashfully. “I didn’t see you there.”

“It’s quite alright,” the doctor said, “I can see you’ve been keeping yourself busy, which is good. My name is Doctor Sol Campbell and I’ve been assigned to you this evening.” His hair was the color of storm clouds and his eyes a pale blue. He made Yang think of some kindly grandpa handing out butterscotch candies to the neighborhood kids. “I’ve gone over all of your results and you have nothing to worry about. No sign of any infection, so it helps to confirm our suspicion that this virus somehow knows to only attack Faunus DNA.”

“That’s both a relief and frightening,” Yang frowned. “Can I at least see Blake?”

“Absolutely!” Dr. Campbell said cheerfully. “I’ll take you to her now.”

* * *

Ruby grunted in frustration as she squirmed a bit on her cot. She was spoiled with the ridiculously high thread count bed sheets at Schnee Manor and the hospital-grade bedding felt gruff and coarse against her bare back and legs. The hospital gown did a terrific job of keeping her clothed in front at the cost of keeping her entire backside was exposed.

She sighed heavily as she aimlessly flipped through the TV stations. At this time of night, it was nothing but an endless slog of infomercials and news recaps. Not that she could have focused on anything anyway, as her thoughts kept spinning repeatedly with no focus or direction. The chaos at the restaurant, the crazed bomber, this strange virus – all of it was too much. And worst of all, because of quarantine, she wasn’t even allowed to be with Weiss.

The weird robot doctor had told her that it would have her results within an hour, but Ruby had no clue what time it was as she was deliberately ignoring the clock. It was something she started to do during her days at Beacon, usually when Port would drone on and on about his various misadventures. She had found that constantly glancing at the clock seemed to make time crawl, so it was best to just simply ignore the clock and before you knew it, time was up. But then again, Port never stabbed you with a needle and shoved a cotton swab down the back of your throat.

“Should I turn my head and cough now?” Ruby had joked as her forearm was being wrapped in gauze from her blood drawing. The medical droid’s face displayed a question mark and made a curious pinging noise.

“I do not believe you have the proper genitalia for such a procedure,” it said earnestly.

“That’s…that’s why it’s a joke…that’s why it’s funny,” Ruby had responded, but the question mark just continued to flash on the display screen. “You know what? Never mind. Just hand me my hospital gown thingie and I’ll wait here.”

Currently lost in her thoughts, she squealed with surprise and dropped her remote control when a crackling buzz of static cut through the malaise like Crescent Rose through Grimm flesh.

“Ruby?” the voice warbled through the gunmetal intercom speaker. It was Weiss. Ruby lunged forward and nearly smashed the red SPEAK button as hard as she could.

“Weiss? Baby! I miss you so much!” she said, her voice cracking slightly. “But I thought you were going to sleep?”

“Tried to, can’t do it,” Weiss sighed from the other side. “too much on my mind.”

“Yeah, samesies,” Ruby said. “I’m so worried about Velvet and Blake and the other Faunus at that restaurant that my brain is just mush and my tummy is doing backflips. That and my arm hurts from the stupid blood-sucking robot, these sheets are scratching my butt through my underwear and I miss having you next to me.”

“I miss you too, Ruby. It’s only a wall between us but I feel miles apart,” Weiss said before adding, “Ruby, do you mind if I ask you a question? Somewhat off-topic.”

“Sure, Snowflake, anything! You know that.”

“...why do you think Coco hates me?” Weiss asked quietly, her voice distorted through the electronics. Ruby was taken aback by the bluntness of the question.

“I-I don’t think she hates you, Weiss. She’s just very passionate about Faunus civil rights, that’s all. And she sees the Schnee name and has trouble separating you from your Dad."

“Blake doesn’t have that problem.”

“Well, yeah, but Blake is our teammate. She’s been by our side since day one and she’s seen firsthand how much you’ve changed. Coco and the rest of CFVY have done their own thing for years. Coco still thinks of you as the old Weiss Schnee, not the super cool, very pretty, totally amazing woman you are now.”

There was silence from Ruby’s side of the intercom and for a moment she wondered if maybe there was a short in the wiring and that’s why she couldn’t hear Weiss.

“Thanks…” Weiss finally said. “I needed to hear that.”

“Um, excuse me, Mrs. Schnee-Rose?”

Ruby reluctantly let go of the SPEAK button and turned to face one of the medical staff from the BRC.

“I’m Doctor Felicity Messmer. I was with your friend Coco Adel earlier and I have gone over your charts just now. Good news, you are clean as a whistle. The virus is completely non-existent in your blood as well as your wife’s blood too. You’re both free from quarantine.”

“Oh, thank gods!” Ruby exhaled, her shoulder slouching and her posture visibility shrinking as the stress and anxiety left her suddenly “That is great news to hear. Can I go see Blake and Velvet now? I know it’s late, but…” She left that last part trail off, not sure if she should be so pushy.

“Oh no, it’s fine,” Doctor Messmer said “in fact, your sister and Mrs. Adel are already down there now. I can take you there now if you’d like. We can stop by your wife’s room first and pick her up.”

Velvet and Blake shared the same room in the ICU to make things easier for everyone involved. Various tubes and machines were hooked to be each of them as they let off soft wheezes of pure oxygen and beeps of a steady heart rate. Yang sat next to Blake, gently stroking her non-robotic fingers through her short black hair. Blake lay peacefully in her hospital bed, her eyes gently closed. Oxygen was being pumped in through a respirator tube and an IV bag dripped vital fluids into her arm. Her skin was deathly pale, making her look like a life-sized wax doll and not the fearsome Huntress she is.

Velvet was no better. Her rabbit Faunus ears dropped to either side of her face, which Coco had carefully tucked behind her human ears, along with her chocolate brown hair. The same tubes and wires that jutted out of Blake were also in Velvet. Coco sat next to her, holding Velvet’s left hand in her own.

“Knock, knock...” Ruby said quietly, knocking on the door frame. “Cool if we come in?”

“Oh, hey, Rubes,” Yang said with a soft, tired smile. She stood up for a hug and it was then Ruby saw she had another hospital gown tied behind her.

“Hey, no fair! I didn’t get two hospital gowns!”

“I had to ask for them, duh,” Yang said. “Didn’t want people seeing the dragon tail, you know?” Ruby grumbled in irritation and pulled her gown closer from behind. At least she wore modest boy shorts today and not something more revealing.

“How is Blake doing?” Weiss asked. The smile faded from Yang’s face as she sat back down in her chair.

“They don’t sugar coat it here and I like that, but…the machines are the only thing keeping her alive right now. Every organ is shutting down one by one and it’s nothing like any of the doctors here have seen.”

“And Velvet is the same?” Ruby asked, turning towards Coco. Coco was without her beret and shades and it somehow made her look vulnerable, as if her armor had been removed. She was also decked out in full medical scrubs, making Ruby even more aware that everyone could see her underwear and bra strap. Coco’s eyes were bloodshot, though if it was from crying or lack of sleep, Ruby didn’t know and didn’t want to ask.

“The same as Blake. It’s happening to all the Faunus from the restaurant,” was all Coco said in reply.

Ruby frowned and walked closer towards Velvet’s bed, stroking the back of her hand against Velvet’s face and brushing away an errant strand of hair.

“And…there’s no cure? No hope at all?”

“Actually, the future may not be so hopeless,” Winter said as she stepped into the room. Unlike everyone else, she was already redressed in full Atlesian military regalia. It was easy to assume that if the four of them has come up clean, so did Winter.

“How? What do you know?” Coco asked cautiously, hope creeping in her voice. Winter merely held up a hand for silence.

“In due time, Coco. For now, I would encourage the four of you to rest as I wish to speak with you at 0800 hours about what you can do to help.”

“Eight hundred hours?!” Ruby wailed. “We need to work now, not…a month or whatever from now!” Winter face palmed in her glove.

“It means eight in the morning, Ruby. I have arranged for you and Weiss to share a bed in one of the quarantine rooms and for Coco and Yang, we will be wheeling in two cots shortly so they can sleep here.”

“That’s cool and all, but what exactly do you need with us?” Yang asked. Winter gave the tiniest of smirks.

“We’ll discuss this in the morning. But, with your permission, I’d like to send some of our team to retrieve your combat outfits and your weapons. You’re going to need them.”


End file.
